Second Chance
by Di12381
Summary: An alternative ending to the story. Edward survives the fire untouched and searches for Jane.
1. Chapter 1

*-Of course I don't own any of these characters, except for Cedric Hargrove. The rest are all mine.

*-Reviews are always welcome.

Chapter 1-Edward

Nearly a year ago I had it all. I was healthy, my income was stable and I was in love. She was unexpected. I often said it was my horse that she bewitched, but it was my heart, not my horse that was bewitched.

I was not immune to the charms of women; I've unfortunately had my fair share of female related heartache in my life. But I've never known what real love was until I met Jane Eyre. She was so innocent, so unaware of the dangers of the world and yet she had own her share of heartache.

I wanted to protect her from the world, give her everything she deserved. My heart burst when she confessed that the feelings I held for her were not one sided.

But something wasn't right, I felt it. I tried to ignore it, only focus on Jane and our future.

Unfortunately, the feeling that something wasn't right got louder. Then it materialized in the form of Briggs.

"I declare an impediment, this marriage cannot go on".

With that, I knew that the truth had to come to the light.

I always knew Bertha was there, a constant reminder of the abuse and manipulation heaped upon me by my father and brother. If I would have known the truth about Bertha, the madness that was her heritage, I would have never consented to marry her. But that information was only disclosed to me until after the wedding vows were complete.

In my attempt to keep Bertha safe and my reputation in tact, I brought her back to Thornfield and hired Grace Poole. Then I left Thornfield, doing anything I could to forget what had been forced upon then.

Then I met Celine and before I knew it, Adele had been left in my care. As I did with Bertha, I took her back to Thornfield, left her in the care of Sophie and Mrs. Fairfax and then left, never expecting to want to return permanently. Then Jane entered my life.

The lies I had created ended our happiness. Before I knew it she was gone.

The fire, started by Bertha destroyed Thornfield. I tried to save her, but she jumped before I could. Somehow, I got out of the burning remnants of my home without a scratch. The physician said we were all lucky to get out alive. Now I live at Ferndean, waiting for the day when my Jane would return to me.

In my desperation to find her, I sent out letters, even employing Briggs to find out any information of where she might have gone. After months of searching, the news came from Briggs himself, who was also looking for Jane.

She had been staying with her newly discovered cousins, inherited twenty thousand pounds from her deceased uncle, and had recently acquired a position as a teacher. I had to smile when I read this, that was my Jane, industrious and intelligent. Now all I had to do was bide my time and wait.


	2. Chapter 2

*-Of course I don't own any of these characters, except for Cedric Hargrove. The rest are all mine.

*-Reviews are always welcome.

Chapter 2- Jane 

It has been just under a year since I had left Thornfield, my heart broken beyond repair. I still loved him, I would always love him. But I could not trust him, who knows what else he has not disclosed?

I did not want to leave Thornfield. For the first time in my life, I was respected and appreciated, not demeaned or abused. And I was loved by a man who I thought only existed in fairy tales, not in the life of a penniless and plain orphan.

It hurt to leave; they had become the family I had always wanted. But I needed to leave; I could not live with a man I loved, knowing that we could not go on as we were, pretending that he was not already married. So I left, and even though my body was at Moorhouse, my heart was at Thornfield.

I don't know how I did it, but somehow, I survived. Perhaps it was the kindness of Mr. Rivers and his sisters. They treated me, a total stranger, as if I was family. When I was offered the possibility of teaching, I jumped at the chance. I knew that by making myself useful would help me to move on. At the time, I didn't know that would include my introduction to Cedric Hargrove.

"Mr. Hargrove, it has been months since you visited us, we have been wondering where you have been?" Diana smiled warmly as he kissed her hand.

"I have been busy, Miss Rivers, but for you, I would take a rest from my work".

"Diana has been enchanted with Mr. Hargrove since last Christmas" Mary explained quietly to me.

"Is he as enchanted with her as she is with him?".

"I don't think it is quite as mutual as Diana would wish, but perhaps it maybe one day. Mr. Hargrove is quite the catch, there have been many young women in the area that would be happy for his attention, but he seems to be uncatchable. You see, Mr. Hargrove's uncle is one of the most affluent men in the county, but he is always travels to do business for uncle, never staying long enough for any young lady to catch his attention".

"Miss Rivers, your brother told me you had a visitor" Cedric's attention turned to Jane and Mary.

"Mr. Hargrove, this is our cousin, Jane Eyre. Jane this is Mr. Hargrove".

"I didn't know that you had any family besides your brother and sister".

"It was recent discovery for everyone".

"Well then, Miss Eyre, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance and I do hope that I will have the pleasure of your company beyond this evening".

That was just the first evening. Cedric and I have spent many evenings together since then. I thought Diana would be upset, but her heart has already settled elsewhere, with a Mr. Putnam. He is not Edward, but he understands and respects me, without demands that I alter who I am. He has even proposed marriage. I told him I would consider his offer.

"Jane, take a walk with me this evening" Cedric pleaded with me as I cleaned up from my students. I knew why he wanted to walk with me; I wasn't ready to give him an answer.

"Cedric, I must clean up, I cannot leave this mess behind for tomorrow".

"Are you still unsure about your decision? Jane, I am not him, I will not lie to you about my past".

"You know nothing of Edward" for a moment my eyes flashed "I am sorry, Cedric, but I must clean up, I will see you tomorrow night".

"Until then, my darling" he kissed me before he walked out.

An hour later, I had just finished cleaning, when I heard a set of footsteps.

"Cedric, I told you, I had to finish…" I was about to turn around when a string a pearls was wrapped around my neck. I closed my eyes, feeling his fingertips on my neck.

"I am sorry, fairy, that I hurt you, I never meant to hurt you" he whispered, his breath tickling my neck.

"Why have you come here?" I asked, holding myself back. Part of me wanted to welcome his embrace; another part of me wanted him to disappear.

"For you, Janet, we all miss you. Adele keeps asking when you will be coming back to us, old dame Fairfax has been a little down since you left".

"How is Mrs. Rochester?" I asked.

"Bertha is gone, she started a fire intending to kill me, she only killed herself in the process".

"You think I will come back to you?" I asked, feeling hot tears dotting the edge of my eyelashes.

"We were meant for each other".

"Were you the one who has sent the flowers?" I asked.

Earlier this afternoon, as I sent the girls off to lunch, one of them returned with flowers in her hand.

"_For you, Miss Elliot, from the gentleman" she handed me the bouquet._

"_What gentleman?" I asked, peering at the empty road. _

"_I don't know" she replied. I sent her back to her classmates, but still I wondered who they were from._

"Yes".

I was grateful for the sudden knock on the door.

"Jane, are you in there?" Sinjun asked.

"Yes, come in" I replied, separating myself from Edward.

"Jane, Mary and Diana wanted me to escort you back to Moorhouse tonight, they were concerned about you being alone tonight with the storm coming" The thunder was heard in the distance.

"Oh yes, give me a moment to gather my things".

While I gathered my belongings, I heard the conversation between Edward and Sinjun.

"Sinjun Rivers, Miss Eyre is my cousin".

"Oh yes, I discovered that when I was looking for her. I am Edward Rochester; Miss Eyre was employed as the governess for my ward".

"We know much about you. Jane has been quite thorough of her description of experience".

"Has she now?" Edward asked. I heard the change in his voice and I knew I had to alter the course of the conversation.

"Sinjun, if you don't mind" I walked out, carrying the small satchel.

"Of course" I accepted his arm, leaving Edward standing there. I knew I had to, for my own heart; I could not love him again, not as I did before.


	3. Chapter 3

*-Of course I don't own any of these characters, except for Cedric Hargrove. The rest are all mine.

*-Reviews are always welcome.

Chapter 3-Edward

Knowing Jane as I did, I knew that I could not continue my suit at that moment, I would need time. So I waited.

I arrived at the home of her cousins the next night. Despite the rather distasteful introduction I had from Mr. Rivers, I found his sisters to be pleasant.

"You must be Mr. Rochester, my name is Mary, Sinjun is my brother. We are having a guest for dinner, will you join us?"

"You have a lovely home, Miss Rivers, thank you I believe I will stay".

She took my hat and jacket. The first floor of the home was small, but I could see the love and care in the decoration of the home.

As I stood in the front room, I heard a familiar voice.

It was Jane, walking down the stairs with another young woman who I thought to be other Miss Rivers and her brother.

"Mr. Rochester, this is my sister, Diana and you know Jane and Sinjun of course".

"Mr. Rochester" Mr. Rivers was quiet in his speech, but I could tell he was not pleased with my appearance.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir" Diana said.

"Mr. Rochester" Jane barely met my eyes.

"Miss Eyre" I replied.

"Dinner is served" I was led in a small dining room where six chairs were waiting.

I was about to ask about the sixth person when another man entered.

"I'm sorry I'm late, you know my uncle, always talking business".

The greetings from Mr. Rivers and his sisters were warm, but Jane's was like a sunburst.

"Cedric" he kissed her hand and I felt a sudden urge to knock him to the ground. Who was this man and why was she acting as she was?

"You look lovely, as always".

"Cedric, honestly".

"Are you saying that I cannot tell my future wife how beautiful I think she is?" he asked.

"Not in present company, Cedric".

"Jane, were among family, there is nothing that cannot be said".

The alarms went off in my head. Wife? She was going to marry him? That child? If I was not a gentleman, I would challenge him to a duel, but propriety kept me from doing so. I knew that whatever I was going to do, I must be aggressive, otherwise my Janet might be lost to me forever.

"Mr. Rochester, this is Mr. Hargrove, he is a friend of our family. Cedric, this is Mr. Rochester, Jane was employed by Mr. Rochester as the governess for his ward".

"I have heard much about you, sir" Miss Rivers introduced us. He was polite, but I could tell he too was not happy with my presence.

I observed them during dinner, she looked happy; I hated admitting that she seemed to be happy. Since I survived the fire, I had wished I could have acted on my feelings earlier, perhaps taking her hand during our many walks on the grounds or writing some sort of romantic poetry.

"Is your dinner suitable, Mr. Rochester, you have barely touched it?" Mr. Rivers asked with a steel gaze.

"Yes, it's fine" I replied.

"You must excuse my brother, Mr. Rochester" Miss Rivers whispered in my ear "My sister and I are both older that Sinjun, he thinks of Jane as a younger sister and is quite protective of her. He even asked him to marry her, but she turned him down".

"Did he now?" I replied, keeping my tone respectable. Now was not the time for any action, though I was severely tempted.

"Jane tells me Thornfield is quite lovely, especially in the summer" Mr. Hargrove spoke.

"It is quite lovely, Jane and I, we used to take walks on the grounds, didn't we Jane?" I asked her.

"We did, sir" for the first time, her eyes met mine.

I knew that look, she was trying to be strong, she didn't want any emotions to be read, but they were as clear as day. Her heart was still mine, as much mine was still hers. I only needed to prove it.

"Mr. Rochester, are you aware that Jane is an heiress?" Diana asked.

"Really?" I replied, pretending to be unaware. Of course I knew that my Janet was woman of her own means, Briggs had informed me when he advised me of her location.

"Our uncle, John Eyre, left Jane his entire fortune, twenty thousand pounds. She could have kept it to herself, but she has decided to generously share it between all of us".

"I didn't know that" the fact that she had shared her inheritance with her family was news to me, but my fairy never stopped surprising me.

I completed my dinner, continuing the pleasant, if polite conversation with her cousins. After dinner, the elderly housekeeper, whose name I discovered was Hannah, started to clear dinner away.

"Let me help you, Hannah" Jane offered.

"Thank you miss, but you have guests, I will clean up".

Despite Hannah's protests, Jane took the dishes off the table and I saw the chance I had been waiting for.

"That Hargrove chap is an interesting fellow, do you still intend to marry him?" I watched her stack the dishes in the kitchen.

"And if I did?" I saw the fire in her eyes.

"Do you love him?" I asked.

"He is amiable and kind and honest…" I heard her words and knew that her heart was still in tune with mine.

I kissed her with everything I had, I had waited a year to feel her lips on mine and I savored the moment. I expected her to push away, but she welcomed my embrace. For a moment, we were in our own world, forgetting everyone and everything.

"Jane, are you in here…?" I didn't hear Miss Rivers walk into the kitchen. As soon as Jane saw her cousin, she broke the kiss and ran out.


	4. Chapter 4

*-Of course I don't own any of these characters, except for Cedric Hargrove. The rest are all mine.

*-Reviews are always welcome.

Chapter 4-Jane

I didn't want to respond to his kiss. My mind told me not to, to walk away before he lied to me and broke my heart once again. But my heart wanted, needed to feel him beside me.

"Jane do you still love him?" Diana asked, following me out of the kitchen.

"Yes" I replied through my tears.

There was no other man for me, not even Cedric, for all of his good qualities, who I could ever be with. Edward Fairfax Rochester was my heart, my soul, a part of me that I never knew existed until the day I met him and whom I could never be parted from.

"Then you should be with him" Diane counseled.

"What about Cedric?" I asked.

"Then you must be honest with him, it would do neither of you good to deny your feelings".

"What about you, Diana, do still love Cedric?".

It was her turn to start to cry.

"I thought I had lost him forever".

"I thought you were going to marry Mr. Putnam".

"I don't love him Jane, I never did. Then I saw the way Mr. Rochester looks at you and I wish that Cedric would look at me like that"

"You still have a chance" I replied. I felt very guilty that I had nearly taken Cedric from Diana, not knowing how much she still cared for him.

"Would you help me, Jane?" she asked me.

"Yes" I replied.

Now all I had to do was tell Cedric. He arrived the next day as the girls were leaving.

"You wished to see me, my darling?" he asked. I saw the love in his eyes, I hated to break his heart, but I knew I needed to.

"Yes, Cedric, I have been thinking about your offer…".

"And you will marry me?".

"No Cedric, I cannot. I do not love you; it would be unfair to both of us if we were to marry".

"It's him, isn't it, that Rochester fellow".

"Yes, Cedric, I do love him, I would be a traitor to my own heart if I denied the fact that I didn't love him. But there is someone who does love you as I love Edward".

"Diana?". I saw the look in his eyes and I knew that he would be unhappy as I thought he would be.

"She still loves you, Cedric, she told me herself. You deserve all of the happiness in the world, and so does Diana".

"What about that man she was talking about, Putnam?".

"She feels nothing for him".

"Do you think she would marry me?" He asked, his eyes lightning up.

"There is only one way to find out" I replied.

"You are truly an angel, Jane; I only hope your Mr. Rochester knows how lucky he is, if only there was a way to repay you" he kissed my hand before walking out.

Then the idea came to me.

"There is something you can do for me, Cedric".


	5. Chapter 5

*-Of course I don't own any of these characters, except for Cedric Hargrove. The rest are all mine.

*-Reviews are always welcome.

Chapter 5-Together

With a skip in his step, Edward approached Moorehouse. Jane had sent him a letter the day before, asking him to come for tea. He had not felt this giddy since she had accepted his first proposal.

"Good afternoon, sir, they are waiting for you in the drawing room" Hannah took his hat and coat.

In the drawing room, he found Mary, Sinjun, and Cedric sitting next to Jane. He felt his blood start to boil, this boy still insisted on sitting where he should be sitting.

"Good afternoon" he said politely, knowing that the time would come where he would show this child who belonged next to his fairy.

"Where is Diana?" Cedric asked.

"She was resting a little while ago, I'll check on her, excuse" Mary left the room.

Mary returned a moment later explaining "she will be down in a moment".

"So, Jane, Cedric, you said you had something to tell us" Sinjun asked.

"As you all know, I have asked Jane to marry me, which after some time, she has finally accepted. Not only has she accepted my proposal, but we are getting married as soon as we can, for the child's sake".

Edward was about to jump up, demanding to know why, but Diana was heard before he could say anything.

"Jane, how could you?" Diana's voice was heard from the stairs.

"I am sorry, Diana, it just happened and you seemed to be smitten with Mr. Putnam, I had no idea you still had any feelings for him".

"Diana, please understand, Jane and I just fell in love, its what happens when two people fall in love".

"I took you into my home, a total stranger, you could have died on the moors, but we saved your life, gave you a home and an income and this is how our generosity is repaid?

You take the man I love".

"Diana, I had no idea that you felt this way, had I known…" Cedric started to plead.

"Diana, to be fair, you never truly expressed how you felt to Cedric, if he and Jane are happy together, they have every right to marry" Mary tried to intercede.

"Well, it's too late, Cedric, I hope you're happy" Diana started to walk upstairs.

Then she turned and headed straight to Jane.

"I want you out of my house and out of my life. You're no longer my family" Diana seemed to be ready to attack.

"If it means being happy, so be it" he was surprised when Jane walked up to him and kissed him quite thoroughly.

"What the deuce is going on here?" he was shocked by the explosion of laughter behind him.

"Jane told us of how you flirted with Miss Ingram; she thought it would be interesting to play a game".

"Jane, this was your idea?" Edward asked, genuinely shocked that she was the mastermind behind what he had witnessed.

"Not entirely, Diana, Mary and Cedric were also very interested in helping".

"For my part, I will say I was dragged into this situation and I am not happy" Sinjun pouted.

"Oh hush brother, have a heart" Mary scolded him.

"Do you still intend to marry him?" Edward asked, fearing he may have finally lost her for good.

"No" she kissed him, love reflecting from her eyes. This time, he returned her kiss.

He was even more surprised when Cedric walked over and shook his hand.

"I want to thank you sir, you have helped me realize what I was truly looking for" Only then did Edward see the ring on Diana's left hand.

"Your welcome" was the only response he could muster; the shock was finally wearing off, realizing that Jane was right there.

The next thing they knew, two weeks had passed. They had married the next day and were spending their honeymoon at a hotel at Brighton.

The two weeks flew by and before they knew it, they were scheduled to return to Thornfield.

"Well, my dear, all is settled, the carriage will be arriving tomorrow at ten".

"That's nice" Jane said, looking up from her book.

"Are you teasing me?" he asked.

"Never" she replied with a coy smile.

"Stand up please" Edward requested.

She was surprised when he threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and then soundly threw her on the bed.

"Edward, what are you doing?".

"Showing my wife how much I adore her" they might be returning to Thornfield tomorrow, but for tonight, they only had each other, which is exactly what they wanted.

The end


End file.
